In his weekly notes column, AP’s Doug Ferguson details the issues facing the LIV golf quest to get world ranking points for players, vital for its younger stars to earn access to major championships.
While there are currently conflicting reports on whether an application has been submitted by LIV and received by the OWGR, Ferguson notes all of the ways the 54-hole, limited field size schedule will not qualify.
One is that every tournament be contested over at least 54 holes with a 36-hole cut or be in line with eligible formats. LIV Golf has no cut.
The OWGR guidelines indicate a standard format of 72 holes, with 54 holes acceptable “for those tournaments earnings fewer than 12 minimum first-place points.” In other words, a steady diet of 54-hole events is typically for developmental tours or offseason series, such as the Vodacom Origins of Golf in South Africa.
Guidelines also state that tournaments must average a 75-man field over the course of the season.
Other than that…
LIV can expand and tweak if this is of importance to its players. Given how many still have major exemptions or are simply taking the easy money, perhaps OWGR status will never matter to the league.
